[CoLoCo] Is creating something in flash == programming?

[Richard Guenther]

On 4/7/08, Jim Hutchinson <jim at ubuntu-rocks.org> wrote:

>  .... However, the "programming" teacher isn't going to teach any
> programming after next year. She's fed up with the politics of some things
> but I would have liked to see things go the other way with some Python or
> something classes.coldfrontramblings.blogspot.com
>

Jim,

As a math teacher who also teaches programming I would love to hear a few
details about the "politics" involved there.  Maybe they have nothing to do
with the "politics" that I'm constantly blogging about (like this one from
just last night):

http://coldfrontramblings.blogspot.com/2008/04/just-for-fun.html

Also, the College Board has recently announced they will be eliminating the
Computer Science AB class (they will still have the CS A class):

http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/06/1916242

I would have thought that anyone qualified to teach programming would have a
bunch of opportunities in public education.  Turns out it's a lot tougher
than I thought it would be, especially if you focus on FOSS.  If you're
willing to teach Xcel or Adobe's Photoshop, you can easily get funding.
Python, however, is often seen as a hacker's tool to those that fear
hacking, and many of those at the top of District Tech are paranoid as hell
about any form of "coding" that students are allowed to do--and forget
Linux.  Any attempt to connect a Linux computer to our district net is
strictly prohibited.  I've even been told that if my Ubuntu laptop connects
to our school's wifi I could lose all of my "rights".

I'll stop now .... :-(

If you can give any more details, even privately, that would be cool.  Maybe
it has nothing to do with the crap I've been dealing with.

Richard
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